Shipping Terminology - with a Prince Edward Island Slant!

Barque

Brig

Schooner

Sloop

Articles: A paper that all the members of the crew of a ship
signs to say what their position aboard will be. In modern
terminology, perhaps, a contract of employment or intent.

Barque: A vessel with three or more masts with square sails on
the fore mast and fore and aft sails on the after mast. Generally
in the range of 250 - 700 ton capacity.

Barquentine: A vessel with three or more masts with square sails
on the foremast, and fore and aft sails on the main and after masts.
Generally in the 250 - 500 ton range.

Bowsprit: A spar projecting from the upper end of the bow of a
sailing vessel.

Brig: 1. A two masted vessel square rigged on both
masts.Generally in the 150 - 200 ton range. 2. A sailing
vessel's jail.

Brigantine: A vessel with two or more masts, with fore and aft
sails on both masts, normally in the tonnage range of 150 - 250
tons, but some P.E.I. brigantines exceeded 400 tons.

Bulkhead: A wall-like construction inside a ship.

Bulwark: A guard that protects the ship from big waves.

Dogwatch: A way the sailors changed places. Every 4 bells they
switched places.

Dory: A small rowing vessel with a narrow, flat bottom and high
sides curving outward.

Figurehead: A carved figure or bust on a ships prow.

Forecastle: 1. A superstructure at or immediately aft of the bow
of a vessel. 2. The quarters for the crew of a merchant ship.

Fore or Forward: Towards the bow of a vessel.

Forerunner: Maritime legends are ripe with stories of forerunners. They are
a harbinger or herald of impending disaster often felt by the family of those lost at sea.

Galley: 1. A sea going vessel propelled mainly by oars used in
ancient times. 2. A kitchen in a ship or airplane.

Harbourmaster: A man in charge of a harbour, authorizing entry,
and arranging for Pilots to guide vessels into difficult harbours, past underwater
obstructions, etc.

Hatchway: A large covered, usually rectangular opening in a
ships deck for putting and removing cargo from under the deck.

Helm: A wheel or tiller by which a ship is steered.

HMS A prefix used before a vessel's name to denote that it is owned
by the crown, or is His/Her Majesty's Ship.*

Ice Boat: A small boat typically used on P.E.I. for transportation
across the Northumberland Strait prior to 1918 during the Winter
Months. Typically, they were 5 metres long, and 1.2 metres wide, and
were covered with tin to protect the vessel from the ice. Often they
had metal runners on the sides of the keel.They were outfitted with
sails and oars, and could be rowed or paddle across the Strait. When
the ice grew too thick, the crew and male passengers in exchange for a
lower rate, would pull the boat across the ice. The vessel was
equipped with leather harnesses to attach the crew to the vessel while
pulling, also protecting them from drowning when the ice gave away.

Jack: A sailor or seaman.

Jibs: A triangular sail set forward of a foremast.

Keel: The central member on the bottom of the hull, extending from bow
to stern.

Keelhauling: A way of punishing sailors by tying them to a rope and
dragging them across the bottom of the ship. This was accomplished by lashing
together the legs at the ankles by a significant amount of line, then dropping
the unfortunate soul head first from the bow, then he was allowed to drift back
to the vessel's beam (the widest section) where the Officers or deck crew would
take the line from one side of the deck to the other. This would submerge the
poor soul in order to bring him up under the ships keel surfacing on the other
side.*

Knot: 1. An interlacing of rope, cord, etc, drawn tight into a lump
or end. 2. (Naut) A measure of Nautical speed about 1.125 statute miles per hour.*

Log: 1. A device for measuring the speed of a ship. 2. To enter
in a log book. 3. A ships written record.

Mast: A spar or structure resin above the hull and upper
portions of a ship holding sails, rigging, etc up.

Master: The captain of a merchant ship.

Mate: An officer of a merchant vessel ranking below the captain.

Mutiny: Rebellion against the ship's constituted authority.

Pilot: A trained captain in the employ of a Harbourmaster who's job is to
guide vessels into harbours, past underwater obstructions.

Punt: A small square ended rowing vessel.

Quarterdeck: The rear part of the uppermost deck on a ship.

Range Lights: A set of two small lighthouses, aligned so that if a vessel
lines them up, they will be guided safely into a harbour, through narrow channels.

Ratline: Any of the small ropes that join the shrouds of a ship
horizontally and serve as ships for going aloft.

Rigging: The ropes, chains, etc employed to support and work the
masts, sails, etc on a ship.

Rudder: A hinged or pivoted vertical blade or flat that is
turned to steer a boat.

Rum Runner: A term applied to a person or vessel employed during
prohibition to import alcoholic spirits into P.E.I. from 1923 to 1938. One
of the Island's more notorious rum runners was the Nellie J. Banks, who eluded authorities
until August 9, 1938. She was the last rum runner seized off Atlantic Canada.

Schooner: A vessel with two or more masts, with fore and aft
sails on both masts, normally less than 150 tons, but some of
the triple masted schooners built on P.E.I. in the 1880's
exceeded 700 tons.

Shallop: A locally used name referring to a vessel with one mast
carrying fore and aft sails, normally of less than 25 tons.

Ship: A vessel with three or more masts with square sails on
each, often exceeding 500 tons.

Shrouds: Any taut ropes running from a masthead to the side of a
ship.

Sloop:A vessel with a single mast, for and aft rigged, of less
than 25 tons.

Snow:The largest type of two-masted sailing vessel of the era, the snow, carried square sails on both masts, with a trysail on a jacknast known as a snowmast --which was a spar set on the deck about a foot behind the mainmast and attached at the
top to the mainmast. Also: A "Snow Rigged Vessel" or "Snow Rigged Brig" had similar rigging.

Souls: Number of persons aboard a vessel. Used as in: "The schooner went down
with 120 souls aboard".

Spar: A stout pole forming a ships mast, yard, gaff, boom, etc.

Starboard: The right hand side of a vessel facing forward.

Steerage:The lowest class accommodations on a passenger ship.

Stern:The rear part of a ship.

Swinging from the Yardarm: A sailor under punishment would be lashed
high on the mast. Due to the height, as the vessel rolled, the swing could easily
be 50 to 75 feet depending upon the degree of roll. This could last for days on
end without food or water. But then who could keep food down under this situation!
Capt. Chris states that this, perhaps was one of the worst punishments.*

Tidewaiter:A Customs Officer that watched for ship arrivals so the vessels could be boarded and inspected.

Tonnage: A measurement of the carrying capacity of a vessel. It is what wins in a collision between two yachts :-) This little footnote from Paul Curtis!

Warfinger: Basically, a man in charge of a docking facility. He authorizes
ships to dock, and collects fees from them for docking, and is responsible for
arranging for repairs to the dock.